realistic humility only enhances the wonderful virtues that i have seen. and cardinal joseph ratzinger and pope benedict xvi. >> bret: it was a surprise. coac.pope benedict xvi will resn february 28. that will start a conclave to make new pope in rome sometime before easter. here is the letter from pope benedict said. the resignation letter. in today's world, stout so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance of the life of faith in order to govern the bark of st. peter and proclaim the gospel, strength of mind and body are necessary. strength in the last few months deteriorated in me to the extent i have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. for this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom i declare i renounce the ministry of bishop of rome. successor of st. peter and entrusted to me by the cardinals on 19 april, 2005. amazing. welcome in a special panel to talk about the resignation. kathryn lopez with national review online. she talked to the pope last fall. david kerr is the c

years of his papacy. maybe he wanted to avoid that. the former cardinal joseph ratzinger was touched by the charges of child abuse in the catholic church. bill: what happens next on the dates that are aren't? >> reporter: he's leaving february 28, 8:00 p.m. local time in rome. that leaves that very important vacancy and sets up a conclave of cardinals. vatican says by mid-march at the latest. vatican says we should have a new pope by esther sunday march 31. pope benedict will not take part in the conclave. usually a conclave happens after a pope dies. 1415 was the last time a pope quit in office. who is the next pope? he could come from developing areas of the world. it guarantees a lot of drama and a lot of black or white smoke coming from the roof is sistine chapel. march report concerns about the pope's health surfaced this past christmas eve. have it can watchers say he looked frail as he delivered the midnight mass. here he is riding in a motorized cart. the mass is moved up two hours to give the pope time to rest for the christmas day speech. he took the opportunity to urge peace

cardinal joseph ratzinger seemed an obvious choice. this time there is no such obvious front runner and no simple, single, overriding issue that's driving the reflection, which is why a lot of us believe this conclave may be a little bit more complex and it may take a little bit longer for the cardinals to reach consensus. >> all right. all right, john, let's come back here to new york for a second. melinda, let me ask you, when you're looking at this from the outside, other than the timing which you know i'm completely obsessed with, that's mainly because i have to figure out when i have to get to rome, but when we're looking at what might be different this time, that's the excitement, right? what are you looking at from the outside? what do you think the possibilities here are? and are we being too excited? >> in terms of the candidates or in terms of what we're going to see going forward? >> because pope benedict has created precedent here by saying i'm resigning, this is the best thing for the church, will that idea, what's best for the church, mean something new as well in the

, before he was the pope, he joseph ratzinger, and a profe professor. that's what he wanted to do in retirement. they is a theologian in part, so it's not surprised in that regard. pope watched the church deal with that difficulty as well as the scandals that many felt that they were flat-footed in responding to. >> well, again they're going to be conclave after the 28th. we'll know for the new season of easter who the new pope will be. ann, thanks so much. >>> so another horrific incident of gun violence, this time in delaware. a man shot his wife and a new woman at the newcastle courthouse this morning. the suspect also wounded two police officers. the suspect killed by police. >>> here's a look at what else is topping the news. the lapd is over a record $1 million reward to find chris dorner. the lapd says they will reopened the investigation that led to his firing. he's wanted for a killing spree in revenge for his dismissal. >>> hundreds of school districts canceled classes in new york, connecticut and massachusetts. >>> more than a dozen people were hurt and hundreds of homes d

. pope benedict xvi was born in 1927 as joseph ratzinger in germany he was forced into hitler's youth at age 14. he served in the army but deserted and was captured by the americans. we are hoping to speak from officials from the archdiocese this morning. we'll let you know what they have to say. live from san francisco, i'm tara moriarty, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. >>> in overnight news, a crash in concord leaves one man with life-threatening injuries. police say he was walking across clayton road near bay lie road around 6:15 last night when a car hit him. investigators say the 52-year- old man was not in a crosswalk. he was rushed to john muir medical center. police know who hit him. an investigation is still underway. >>> copper thieves are causing big problems for bay area drivers. alex savidge has a look at -- a look at this problem. >> reporter: copper thieves could be partly to blame for that lengthy commute. they targeted metering lights here at the isabel avenue entrance to 580 here. i will show you what they did. they broke into this electrical box here and they rip

cardinal and joseph ratzinger you may have heard of who became benedict xvi. this time you have 50 conclave veterans in the sistine chapel, and i think therefore will be more inclined to think they ought to have say in what's happening. >> and i believe some 67 who have been elevated to cardinal by benedict xvi. >> that's right. all 115 were appointed by john paul or benedict. >> so as catholics around the world look to the possible direction the church might take, and in america we know there's a big wing of the roman catholics who is looking for a more progressive, more modern catholic church, that addresses the real issues of living in today's 21st century world, other parts of the word are much more traditional, much more conservative model. how do you see it going forward and to you think there will be an american pope for the first time? >> an american pope is a long shot, but for the first time it's thinkable. in the old idea you couldn't have a super power pope because america is too powerful and if you put that guy in, half the world will think vatican policy is being scri

cardinal rather than joseph ratzenberger i clearly meant joseph ratzinger not john ratzenberger tv's cliff clavin from the show "cheers." some of my critics took this small error as an opportunity to discount my entire argument. and if misprow announcing something is the new precedent for discrediting an argument, perhaps this will finer finally shut up all of the those neo-cons who couldn't wait to invade iraq. >> tonight i'm announceing a, we can fix this. and we will. the american people demand it, and so does our democracy. >> john: that was the sound of john boehner not clapping. who could ever disagree with that. let's go back to the end of that sound bite? mm-hmm that's vice president joe biden standing to applaud and as i mentioned there is house speaker john boehner remaining seated, not clapping anand looking completely miserable. i wonder why that may be. here to join us is ari berman, contributing writer to the nation. who just wrote a brilliant piece titled "why are conservatives trying to destroy the voting rights act." it appears only party stood up for the concept. is this

know. >> pope benedict was elected in 2005 and formally known as cardinal joseph ratzinger and the something station will -- the expectation will begin about

history. well, then came joseph ratzinger, a german, but then at that point they could choose to a non-italian being pope. if our catholics, and especially catholics in rome and in italy, are they ready for a noneuropean? yes, i think so. they have come to understand that what really matters is the passion, the stamina, the strength, and the message that a pope sends out and how he delivers it. they embrace that and understand that the world is now a worldwide church. that the catholic church is now a worldwide church. yes, i think there are ready. they're not -- i don't think they are particularly too bothered about the fact that the next pope will be italian. they just want to know who is next because that's always a massive event here in rome. when the white smoke comes out of the sistine chapel, people will be charging here down the big street from rome into the vatican because everyone wantston who their new pope is. that's exciting. >> george, you talk about the challenges that the first has faced. is that going to be part of this conversation, the scandals here, and else where i

the monastery. >> reporter: as cardinals joseph ratzinger, he was labelled god's rottweiler. he was shown a gentle side. never more so than meeting with sex abuse victims in his 2008 trip in the u.s. he saved his biggest surprise for last says john thamus who covered the vatican for 30 years. >> he will be remembered as the pope who resigned. it will be greatest gift to the church. >> reporter: currently, the conclave to elect the successor to benedict xvi is to happen between march 15th and march 20th. there is talk of moving that date up. all of the cardinals are expected to be here on february 28th. alex, back to you. >>> anne thompson, thank you. the blame game on tsequestratio. the new york times says those will cut 14,000 teachers and employees. and 250,000 civilians employed by the army could be furloughed for up to 22 days. aircraft would forego maintenance. >> it's the president who proposed this sequester. is the house with smarter cuts in other areas of government. >> the fact is this was never the president's idea. this was the result of hostage politics in the republica

maybe he wanted to avoid that. a former german cardinal joseph ratzinger was conservative faith and modern issues, relations between catholics and jews and muslims, and especially the widespread charges against members of his catholic church and child abuse. the question now is, who gets to be picked as the new pope of the billion plus catholics around the world. the speculation he could come from africa or south america, somewhere in the developing world, history could be made, but as you note, megyn, the pope according to his defenders and supporters making a very courageous move. >> megyn: greg, thank you. we're hearing reports that the president could call for a new round of federal spending in his state of the union address tomorrow night. a plan compared to his previous stimulus plan and we just received new fox news polls last week asking voters if they believe the stimulus of 2009 actually worked. just 34% said yes. 60% said, no, it did not work and only 29% of respondents saying he they he would support another round of stimulus spending. 61% say they would oppose it and th

, joseph, roman catholic church, cardinal ratzinger. ratzinger. >> oh, back now to more recent images and it's clear that the pope, vatican leader has taken a toll on him physically and such a incredibly demanding position, he insists that the decision to step down was made without any outside pressure. greg palkot is outside london with the latest. >> reporter: it was a big surprise to a lot of people. pope benedict xvi saying he will step down on february 28th, less than eight years into the papacy and he went on to say that specifically his strength was deteriorating in the last few months and that's why he made the decision. according to the vatican today, this sets up a conclave of cardinals and elections for a new pope by mid march and the vatican saying we should see a new pope by easter sunday, march 31st. and benedict will not take part in that conclave and has to be said conclaves usually happen when poapst die and the last time a pope resigned was the year 1415. and pope benedict says that poapst should step down when they don't feel up to it. we saw john paul ii suffered t

doesn't come without striking moments. >> reporter: joseph ratzinger was elected pope benedict xvi in april of 2005. the college of cardinals did not pick an unknown quantity. he was considered one of the catholic church's finest minds. he was the professor watching the back of his star-like predecessor john paul ii, whom he served as a trusted adviser and friend. many expected the severe german cardinal would bring his strict style to the papacy, and in some ways, he has. he reaffirmed the church's strong opposition to abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia. in his first major ruling as pope, he imposed restrictions on homosexuals becoming priests. in the year following his election, during a trip to germany, pope benedict made perhaps the most controversial remarks of his papacy, addressing a group of scholars. he quoted a byzantine emperor, asserting the prophet muhammad brought things "only evil and inhuman." the comment sparked outrage and protests in many muslim countries. the pope tried to defuse the anger by clarifying the quote did not express his personal views but stopped s

down at the end of the month pope benedict xvi will go back to being called by his birth name joseph ratzinger. no word yet on whether he'll get an official title. he announced monday he no longer has the strength to carry out the job. the vatican is confirming the holy father has had a pace maker for several years and in the hospital to have the battery replaces. a conclave to elect a new pope will be held in march. >>> it is 10 minutes after 8:00 now. still ahead, credit report mistakes. it's possible millions of americans should have a better score than they do. coming up, a consumer protection official will join us live to clear up the confusion. delayed home comings? fox 5 morning news will be right back.  some folks didn't think that our coffee was their flavor,, it wasn't their cup. if you don't like that dark roast, we've created a coffee for you. blonde is a beautiful, light roasted coffee. kind of mellow, sweet, a little citrusy. for me, personally, i love connecting with people, so blonde roast just gives me a whole nother reason to connect with

benedict 16. he was born joseph ratzinger in germany. he became a cardinal in 1977. he was chief theological adviser to pope john paul ii. he was elected pope in 2005. he was then 78 years old. the oldest person to become pope in almost 300 years. little has been said publicly about his health. which made his resignation today even more surprising. since he said his strength has deteriorated recently. once again, much more on this story coming up. the shocking resignation of pope benedict xvi. i'll talk, among other things, to the man who introduced me to the holy father here in washington back in 2000. standby for that interview. >>> and a 75-mile path of destruction across three counties. we'll hear from people who lived through this devastating tornado. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. exper

politics, let's remember the cardinal who presided over the funeral mass of cardinal joseph ratzinger, and over the function of the vatican, he did such a masterful job that many people believed it propelled him to election as benedict xvi, there won't be those massive public events ahead of the conclave, the public performance during that period becomes much less important than the behind the scenes conversation that will go on as the cardinals of the world begin to gather here in rome. >> there will be speculation about who the current pope favors to be his success sore i imagine. >> benedict made it clear when he he talked about papal resignation in the past, he does not believe it would be appropriate, but people will try to read the tea leaves in terms of what benedict is thinking about this process may be. it should be said, one of the questions over the years, about a resigned pope, precisely this, the potential in the church, where one faction to the church loyal to the new pope and one faction loyal to the old pope, so the extent to which once the successor is named, how benedict

who worked with then cardinal joseph ratzinger in the vatican knew that but prior to that no one knew. popes don't face the same pressure to reveal medical records ads presidents or presidential candidates and i would suggest that today's revelation may well add some pressure that some cardinals are already feeling to be more concerned about potential health problems of men that may be considering to succeed benedict xvi. >> john allen reporting live from the vatican. >>> today in chicago two gang members are due in court charged with the murder that has become a keystone in the national debate over gun violence. they're accused of shooting 15-year-old honor student hadiya pendleton days after she performed at a lunch in washington during inauguration week. she died a mile from her chicago home. >> michael ward has confessed and indicated that has ddiya wa not the intended target. in fact the offenders had it all wrong. they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead it was a group of upstanding, determined kids, like hadiya, were repulsed by the gang l

election of a new pope. >> joseph ratzinger, matt, in 2005, was one of only two cardinals who had participated in the papal elections. the two elections of 1978. he knows exactly what the purchas burden of responsibility is that these men are taking on themselves. he knows the conflicting emotions that many of them have. some of which greg and father baron have just described. i think he was saying to them, look, i know how you feel. and i am going to be with you in solidarity and in prayer over the next several weeks. of what is going to be a difficult test. >> at the same time, he has made clear, he does not want to exert undue influence on the process. this is not somebody who's behind the scenes twisting arms saying this should be the next pope? absolutely not, savannah. he is going to disappear. we're not going to see this man for months. he's too much a respecter of the process. he's too much of a respecter of his brother cardinals. and he's too, frankly, humble a human being to try to monkey in any way whatsoever with the selection of his successor. >> matt? >> yeah, i was

protected the holy and also knew benedict when benedict was joseph ratzinger. >> he could work with a real crowd and with his experience in theater and poetry and everything, he would really reach people like that. >> widmer, an author who teaches at catholic university, says as a swiss guard you never spoke to a pope or cardinal unless he addressed you first but he and benedict would chat when benedict was waiting to see pope john paul. >> completely open. >> reporter: what was he like to talk to? >> very -- he would ask me what my interests were and how i felt and how i saw things. >> reporter: and with a sense of humor, like when benedict offered to sign widmer's copy of a book that he written which was pretty thick. >> when i gave it to him he said, you're really reading this? and i said, i'm trying. he said, it helps to do it in small steps. >> reporter: but he also had a personal crisis as a guard, spending his first christmas away from home. john paul helped him through that. >> i sort of had a meltdown and right at that moment he comes out of his apartment and he noticed and h

longer fulfill his responsibilities. cardinal joseph ratzinger was 78 years old when he became pope in 2005 followi death of pope john paul ii. he was the first german to take over the role since the 11th century. pope benedict faced a string of challenges during his term from sexual abuse scandals involving members of the clergy to an investigation into money laundering in vatican city. in addition, a court convicted his former butler last year of stealing and leaking classified documents that alleged corruption in the vatican. the pope pardoned him over christmas. it's rare for a pope to resign. they usually die in the job. top members of the catholic church will now start planning their conclave. the meeting they hold to choose a successor. >>> u.s. and south korean marines have given reporters a glimpse of their first joint winter drills. the marines started training together last week in the south korean mountain town of pyeongchang. they're improving their combat skills. about 400 marines practiced in a temperature of minus 10 degrees celsius. they shot at targets while skiing do